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You tell companies not to invest in West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee to Modi govt

Our projects are pending. Why these projects are not being cleared?: Banerjee

Super-emergency is going on in the country: Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a 'Tughlaq,' and accusing his government of scaring away industrialists from investing in the state.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave East 2017 in Kolkata today, Mamata Banerjee said, "You (the Centre) tell companies not to invest in West Bengal. They say not to go to Bengal. Our projects are pending. Why these projects are not being cleared?"

"There is no cooperative federalism is in India. Super-emergency is going on in India. Somebody may agree with me somebody may not... But, I must tell this...Every industrialist is under threat, under the scanner. What is going on in this country? There is no freedom. There is no voice of the industry, neither of farmers nor of industry. More than 12,600 people died...All media is under the scanner," Mamata said.

Mamata alleged that media was being controlled by the Narendra Modi government. "They are being instructed what to do and what not to do. Even media cannot raise their voice. This is sorry (state of) affairs and I have never seen this type of arrogance. This type of attitude...I have never seen."

'ARE YOU MOHAMMAD BIN TUGHLAQ?'

On the question of GST, Mamata Banerjee said, "Amit Mitra is only one person. He cannot do much...The GST was passed with voice vote in Parliament. We just said don't pass the GST in hurried manner...Are you Mohammad bin Tughlaq? Can you do whatever you like?"

ON DEMONETISATION

On the question of demonetisation, Mamata Banerjee said, "It was not aimed at wiping out black money. Finance Minister was not aware of the decision. They said it will bring down terrorism. But, in Kashmir, terrorism increased by 12 per cent after demonetisation." Mamata Banerjee also rejected the BJP's counter to her criticism of demonetisation.

The BJP said that the West Bengal chief minister was against note ban because it struck at the cash cache of political parties including the TMC. "All the political parties had cash and they had only ash," Mamata Banerjee said satirically.

ON THE FREEDOM TO CRITICISE PM MODI

Mamata Banerjee also said that the leaders are today not allowed to speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "If I say something (against PM Modi), their minister phone me and say why are you saying (things) against Narendra Modi. I say bhai (brother), this is my political right. Why are you telling me like this. They are threatening us also sometimes. This is the situation," Mamata Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee further said, "If the democracy is finished, if the democracy is under the scanner, if the democracy is under Aadhaar, if the democracy is in the name of Aadhaar, everything is lost... Don't tell that in India, we have democracy now."

Responding to a query as to if she is the principal opposition PM Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee said that she was not there to oppose an individual. "I have no individual vendetta politics to cater to," she said.

ON THE BJP'S 'DIVISIVE POLITICS'

Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP was indulging in divisive politics in West Bengal. "But, Bengal is the land of Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore. It will not allow Danga party or divisive politics to succeed in the state," Mamata said.

ON THE EAST AND NORTH-EAST

Mamata Banerjee also accused the Centre of ignoring the eastern and northeastern states of the country. She said while there are 47 ports in Gujarat, West Bengal has only two ports yet the Centre is not allowing it to have more ports.

"I am asking for only two more ports and you (the Centre) are not giving us just two ports. This is our right. There is something that is called our haque (right). We must get. If Maharashtra is the commercial capital of India, West Bengal is the cultural capital of the world. We must get our due," Mamata Banejee said.

ON DEBT CRISIS

On the question of the fear of fiscal indiscipline, Mamata Banerjee said that the state would manage the debt crisis. "We will manage that fiscal crisis. The debt crisis is because of the 34 years of misrule of the CPM government. We are paying back our debt," Mamata Banerjee.